Latest news with #Ex-WashingtonPost
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Former Washington Post fact-checker admits he 'screwed up' on COVID-19 lab leak theory
Ex-Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler conceded on Thursday that he was "completely wrong" to label the COVID-19 lab leak theory "doubtful" in 2020. In an interview with Kessler, founder Ira Stoll brought up the eroding trust in fact-checkers from conservatives, using the 2020 Washington Post fact check titled "Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It's doubtful." as an example. Kessler defended the work done on the piece by his Fact Checker video team but blamed himself for the backlash for adding the words "it's doubtful" to the headline. He described being called out by co-author Sarah Cahlan after it was published. "One of the reporters on the piece came up to me the next day and said, 'I think you made a real mistake by putting 'it's doubtful' here. Because I'm uncertain where it stands, and you framed it in a way that made it seem more definitive than what we came up with,'" Kessler recalled. He continued, "That's on me. I screwed up. She recently left the Washington Post to go to another place. In my goodbye remarks, I mentioned, this explains why you should always listen to Sarah, because she's right, and I was completely wrong about this." Kessler argued that the fact check primarily focused on the claim that the coronavirus was a bioweapon rather than whether the virus came from nature or a lab. "It's the headline. The piece itself..." Kessler said. "People only remember the headline," Stoll interrupted. "Like I said, that's on me," Kessler replied. Fox News Digital reached out to The Washington Post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The original fact-check claimed that scientific evidence at the time "strongly supports" the theory that COVID-19 came from nature and that "too many unexpected coincidences" would have been needed for a lab leak. However, it added that the Chinese government was unwilling and unable to offer more information on the theory. Though Kessler now says the fact-check mostly focused on bioweapon claims, he wrote on Twitter, now known as X, in 2020 that it was "virtually impossible" for COVID-19 to have come from a lab in a comment to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about the piece. "I fear @tedcruz missed the scientific animation in the video that shows how it is virtually impossible for this virus jump from the lab. Or the many interviews with actual scientists. We deal in facts, and viewers can judge for themselves," Kessler wrote. Kessler wrote a new fact-check in 2021 that the lab leak theory "suddenly became credible" after new evidence emerged. Though several members of the first Trump administration expressed support for the theory in 2020, Kessler blamed them for his rejection of their claims. "The Trump administration also sought to highlight the lab scenario but generally could only point to vague intelligence. The Trump administration's messaging was often accompanied by anti-Chinese rhetoric that made it easier for skeptics to ignore its claims," Kessler wrote. The Washington Post was among the earliest news outlets to reject the lab leak theory outright, calling it a "coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked" in February 2020.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Lorenz's 'heinous' defense of Luigi Mangione as a 'morally good man' disgusts X users
Ex-Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz continued her defense of alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione in what many viewed as a "beyond vile" segment on CNN Sunday. Lorenz spoke to "MisinfoNation" host Donie O'Sullivan about Mangione's appeal to people, particularly for women. Mangione became something of a folk hero to the far-left after he was arrested for the murder of Brian Thompson, with some viewing it as a comeuppance for the greedy insurance industry. "Here's this man who's a revolutionary, who's famous, who's handsome, who's young, who's smart, he's a person who seems like he's this morally good man, which is hard to find," Lorenz teased in a snippet that was shared on X. Ex-wapo Reporter Doubles Down On Post Wanting Health Insurance Executives Dead: 'It's Natural To Wish' O'Sullivan jokingly added, "Yeah, I just realized women will literally date an assassin before they swipe right on me. That's where we're at." Lorenz, an independent journalist and former Washington Post reporter known for her numerous online controversies, was among those who appeared to sympathize with Thompson's assailant last year. At one point, she posted, "People wonder why we want these executives dead," in response to news about Blue Cross Blue Shield no longer covering anesthesia for the full length of some surgeries. Read On The Fox News App Many social media users were disgusted with the segment featuring Lorenz and O'Sullivan laughing, with most calling out CNN for airing a "heinous" defense of people who admire Mangione. "CNN is now celebrating a fiery but mostly peaceful assassination of a husband and father," conservative commentator Steve Guest wrote. RedState writer Bonchie remarked, "This is a doughy CNN correspondent nodding approvingly while a psychopath asserts it's fine to support cold-blooded murder for political reasons. This is CNN." "The only thing more embarrassing than being Taylor Lorenz is citing her as an authority in your show about *misinformation*. Yikes, mate," Mediaite editor Isaac Schorr commented. "This is beyond vile. Utterly heinous," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote. "CNN is happy to call any opinions they don't like harmful and dangerous and now they're doing a interview with Taylor Lorenz who openly fawns over Luigi Mangione and calls him moral. Amazing what protection having the right political ideology buys," OutKick writer Ian Miller commented. The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller wrote, "I think we're done here on your lectures of extremism as you sit there dodo eyed while she calls a literal assassin a moral guy." "Disgusting," actor Dean Cain declared. Fox News Digital reached out to CNN for comment. During the clip, Lorenz also called out the mainstream media for "clutching their pearls" and pushing an out-of-touch "narrative." "It's hilarious to see these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning a murderer when this is the United States of America, as if we don't lionize criminals," Lorenz said. "As if we don't stan murderers of all sorts. And we give them Netflix shows. There's a huge disconnect between the narratives and angles a certain mainstream media pushes and what the American public feels, and you see that in moments like this." Lorenz also touted getting an audience boost for her Substack publication User Mag due to her sympathetic writings about Mangione. She added, "I can tell you I saw the biggest audience growth that I've ever seen [was] because people were like, 'oh, somebody, some journalist is actually speaking the anger I feel.'" Reached for comment, Lorenz claimed she was actually concerned about the growth of the "Free Luigi" movement and violent online rhetoric. "I do think it's really concerning that more people are essentially participating in these movements, but also just like casually comfortable with really violent kind of rhetoric. And obviously, our system is in normal, healthy democracies, you don't generally see people talking, sort of celebrating this kind of violence," Lorenz told Fox News Digital. She added, "This Luigi movement is sort of indicative of some of that cynicism where you're seeing people that are just really angry and upset with the system." Taylor Lorenz's Sympathy With Suspected Unitedhealthcare Ceo Killer Raises Eyebrows Lorenz has been called out for appearing to excuse and even romanticize Mangione's actions since Thompson was killed, however. Only a few hours after the murder was reported, Lorenz wrote a post suggesting other healthcare executives should be targeted. When discussing her post on Piers Morgan's show days later, Lorenz again went viral after saying she felt "joy" after Thompson's death. "I do believe in the sanctity of life and I think that's why I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately," Lorenz told Morgan. "Maybe not joy but certainly not empathy." "How could this make you joyful?" Morgan asked. "This guy is a husband, he's a father, and he's been gunned down in the middle of Manhattan. Why does that make you joyful?" Lorenz later claimed that she was being mischaracterized in the media and meant that she found joy in elite pundits being forced to confront the "barbaric nature of our healthcare system."Original article source: Taylor Lorenz's 'heinous' defense of Luigi Mangione as a 'morally good man' disgusts X users
Fox News
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Taylor Lorenz's 'heinous' defense of Luigi Mangione as a 'morally good man' disgusts X users
Ex-Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz continued her defense of alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione in what many viewed as a "beyond vile" segment on CNN Sunday. Lorenz spoke to "MisinfoNation" host Donie O'Sullivan about Mangione's appeal to people, particularly for women. Mangione became something of a folk hero to the far-left after he was arrested for the murder of Brian Thompson, with some viewing it as a comeuppance for the greedy insurance industry. "Here's this man who's a revolutionary, who's famous, who's handsome, who's young, who's smart, he's a person who seems like he's this morally good man, which is hard to find," Lorenz teased in a snippet that was shared on X. O'Sullivan jokingly added, "Yeah, I just realized women will literally date an assassin before they swipe right on me. That's where we're at." Lorenz, an independent journalist and former Washington Post reporter known for her numerous online controversies, was among those who appeared to sympathize with Thompson's assailant last year. At one point, she posted, "People wonder why we want these executives dead," in response to news about Blue Cross Blue Shield no longer covering anesthesia for the full length of some surgeries. Many social media users were disgusted with the segment featuring Lorenz and O'Sullivan laughing, with most calling out CNN for airing a "heinous" defense of people who admire Mangione. "CNN is now celebrating a fiery but mostly peaceful assassination of a husband and father," conservative commentator Steve Guest wrote. RedState writer Bonchie remarked, "This is a doughy CNN correspondent nodding approvingly while a psychopath asserts it's fine to support cold-blooded murder for political reasons. This is CNN." "The only thing more embarrassing than being Taylor Lorenz is citing her as an authority in your show about *misinformation*. Yikes, mate," Mediaite editor Isaac Schorr commented. "This is beyond vile. Utterly heinous," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote. "CNN is happy to call any opinions they don't like harmful and dangerous and now they're doing a interview with Taylor Lorenz who openly fawns over Luigi Mangione and calls him moral. Amazing what protection having the right political ideology buys," OutKick writer Ian Miller commented. The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller wrote, "I think we're done here on your lectures of extremism as you sit there dodo eyed while she calls a literal assassin a moral guy." "Disgusting," actor Dean Cain declared. Fox News Digital reached out to CNN for comment. During the clip, Lorenz also called out the mainstream media for "clutching their pearls" and pushing an out-of-touch "narrative." "It's hilarious to see these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning a murderer when this is the United States of America, as if we don't lionize criminals," Lorenz said. "As if we don't stan murderers of all sorts. And we give them Netflix shows. There's a huge disconnect between the narratives and angles a certain mainstream media pushes and what the American public feels, and you see that in moments like this." Lorenz also touted getting an audience boost for her Substack publication User Mag due to her sympathetic writings about Mangione. She added, "I can tell you I saw the biggest audience growth that I've ever seen [was] because people were like, 'oh, somebody, some journalist is actually speaking the anger I feel.'" Reached for comment, Lorenz claimed she was actually concerned about the growth of the "Free Luigi" movement and violent online rhetoric. "I do think it's really concerning that more people are essentially participating in these movements, but also just like casually comfortable with really violent kind of rhetoric. And obviously, our system is in normal, healthy democracies, you don't generally see people talking, sort of celebrating this kind of violence," Lorenz told Fox News Digital. She added, "This Luigi movement is sort of indicative of some of that cynicism where you're seeing people that are just really angry and upset with the system." Lorenz has been called out for appearing to excuse and even romanticize Mangione's actions since Thompson was killed, however. Only a few hours after the murder was reported, Lorenz wrote a post suggesting other healthcare executives should be targeted. When discussing her post on Piers Morgan's show days later, Lorenz again went viral after saying she felt "joy" after Thompson's death. "I do believe in the sanctity of life and I think that's why I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately," Lorenz told Morgan. "Maybe not joy but certainly not empathy." "How could this make you joyful?" Morgan asked. "This guy is a husband, he's a father, and he's been gunned down in the middle of Manhattan. Why does that make you joyful?" Lorenz later claimed that she was being mischaracterized in the media and meant that she found joy in elite pundits being forced to confront the "barbaric nature of our healthcare system."
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top Washington Post Columnist Resigns Over Scrapped Piece On Bezos
Longtime Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus is walking away from the newspaper after the publisher refused to run a column she wrote criticizing owner Jeff Bezos' new vision for the opinion section, according to a resignation letter obtained by several media outlets. Marcus, who's been at the Post for the past four decades, said in her letter to publisher Will Lewis ― who she says spiked the column ― and billionaire owner Bezos that it 'breaks my heart' to leave under these circumstances. 'Jeff's announcement that the opinion section will henceforth not publish views that deviate from the pillars of individual liberties and free markets threatens to break the trust of readers that columnists are writing what they believe, not what the owner has deemed acceptable,' Marcus wrote. Lewis' decision to not run the column 'dissenting from Jeff's edict ― something that I have not experienced in almost two decades of column-writing ― underscores that the traditional freedom of columnists to select the topics they wish to address and say what they think has been dangerously eroded,' she continued. Marcus' departure comes nearly two weeks after Bezos announced the paper's editorial pages would be overhauled to focus on 'personal liberties and free markets.' 'We'll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,' Bezos wrote. The change prompted opinion editor David Shipley to resign and was met with criticism from others at the paper. Marty Baron, the Post's former executive editor, also slammed Bezos' decision in an MSNBC appearance. 'He's saying that only his point of view is going to be represented on those pages, and that really is a betrayal of the heritage of The Washington Post and, I think, a betrayal of the very idea of free expression,' he said. More than 75,000 of the Post's digital subscribers canceled in the 48 hours after Bezos made the announcement, an NPR report found. That was after the paper reportedly hemorrhaged more than 200,000 subscribers late last year when Bezos announced the paper would no longer make presidential endorsements. Bezos is one of several tech tycoons who've cozied up to President Donald Trump. The Amazon founder was among those who donated large sums to Trump's inaugural fund and dined with him at Mar-a-Lago in December. Washington Post Columnist Slams Trump As 'The Real Threat' After Bezos' Op-Ed Overhaul 'Anti-Democratic': Ex-Washington Post Editor Rips Jeff Bezos' Opinion Overhaul 'Fearful Of Trump': Marty Baron Blasts 'Craven' Jeff Bezos After Washington Post Shift
